Miri – 17 May 2016 – 18 student members of the of the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) – Industry Application Society (IAS) Student Chapter of Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) recently went on a study trip to Kuching where they visited the manufacturing plants of Sarawak Cable Sdn. Bhd. and X-Fab Sarawak Sdn. Bhd.

The trip, jointly organised by the student chapter and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) of the university’s Faculty of Engineering and Science, was aimed at giving the Electrical Power Engineering and Electronic and Communication Engineering students insights into the electrical and electronic industries in Sarawak.

At Sarawak Cable, the students were given a briefing on the company and later toured the plant where they learned about the process of cable manufacturing, including the various tests conducted to ensure the quality of the cables.

As the largest cable manufacturer in Malaysia and a leading manufacturer in South East Asia, Sarawak Cable produces an extensive range of cable products, including underground power cables, overhead transmission conductors and optical fibre and copper telecommunications cables. The company also owns manufacturing plants in Penang, Johore, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor in addition to the one in Sarawak.

Students posing for group photo with staff of X-Fab Sdn. Bhd.

Meanwhile, at the X-Fab Sarawak plant located at Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone, the students were given a briefing on the company and its operations, followed by a tour of its wafer manufacturing facility and foundry.

X-Fab is the world’s largest analog/mixed-signal foundry group manufacturing silicon wafers for the fabrication of integrated circuits. It has manufacturing sites in Germany, the United States and Malaysia.

While in Kuching, in addition to the site visits, the group also got together with members of the IEEE Swinburne Sarawak for a teambuilding and sharing session.

For second-year Electronic and Communication engineering student Loo Wei Chuan, the highlight of the visit was witnessing the entire operations of the manufacturing plants and how each machine works in sync to produce high quality products.

“It was a good opportunity to learn how engineers operate in industry. It gave aspiring engineers like us a valuable insight into what our future careers will be like,” said Loo.

According to third-year electrical power engineering student Kong Sheng How, the trip was not only highly educational but also a good means for the students to interact and learn from each other.

ECE lecturer Dr. Raymond Chiong Choo Wee, who accompanied the students on the trip, commented that site visits to industrial sites were important to give students a first-hand look at real working environments, apply theories learned in the classroom to real-life scenarios, and learn about career opportunities in various industries.

The IEEE Curtin Sarawak Student Branch was established in 2008 and currently has about 120 members. In 2016, the IEEE-IAS Student Chapter was established to promote technology and knowledge in multidisciplinary industrial applications. To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/CurtinSarawak.IEEE or email ieee.curtinsarawak@gmail.com.